Hey Guys,
I have been super busy at work and have not had a lot time to write but my M1 is starting to break in real nicely an it keeps getting better and better. I promise when I get some time I will get to the proper analysis of the 2 DACS like I said I would but a fellow member reached out to me that currently owns a DirectStream and has been strongly considering the M1 and I emailed him some of my thoughts on it so due to my lack of time I thought I would share some exerts of the email with you guys for now until I get some time to do a proper write up:
March 11, 2015 4:04pm
Curious as to how they compare in the following areas :
Bass, Soundstage, and detail. ..are they night and day differences? Thanks for your time!
March 13, 2015 7:10am
Hey there,
Sorry been crazy busy and I typed a real nice response which took me a while and I really got into both the differences but accidentally hit the back button on my laptop when typing and lost it all. Ugghh...
The difference between these DACS is quite large. Their perspectives and their specific characters are very different. A much shorter version of what I wrote to you earlier initially speaks to the details and the sound stage which I think really is where the main difference takes place.
The DS has great detail and fleshes out many of the fine details in the music and I found it far superior to all the other DACs and CD players I heard before it and some were very good in deed but compared to the Bricasti the differences become a quite apparent. I think this is where some of the bright and/or over analytic criticism gets pointed at the DS. I loved the DAC and would have argued to the bone that no way it was a bright DAC but when compared to the Bricasti I can now see what those people were saying as everything in life is relative it just matters about from what perspective your viewing it from.
The reason I think, is that with the Bricasti within the sound stage its finite details are firmly fastened to the images specificity and you can clearly hear its detail origin very specific to the specific instrument and musician which lends to highlighting its haunting separation and integrating it with the whole of the entire musical flow and this can be a tough balancing act for many and where the Bricasti is far superior in this effect it is within this scope that lays a sort of force multiplier effect throughout the rest of the spectrum that gives it a mighty advantage. This is so superior to the DS and all the others that I have heard! It is errie like yet warm and inviting. An odd and intoxicating combination. Even with this bass, the DS has a robust and detailed bass that I was very pleased with but the Bricasti Bass is so much more layered and can be heard much more specifically to the specific instruments. The guitar stringing becomes more striking and full, the drums are starting and you feel the strike but more impressible is the long and true decay. The brash horns are biting yet warm and this bass is full nuanced and layered yet still robust but much tighter. Not as round but every-bit as low and even stronger yet quite different. It's more sophisticated and has a strutting like quality of confidence. It works from a more delineated and image specific bass that builds a more robust foundation to tightly work on up to the mid bass to mids or down. It is such an advantage it almost feel like its cheating. Kind of like a super fast runner that is moving so much faster than others but without even trying. Just a more natural and fluid gifted strut that it seems unfair. This carries right on down to the low stuff as well. The High seem delicate yet better extended with a sheen smoothness that just keeps going...It just has such a more relaxed and confident demeanor that it struts its robust, warm and dynamic self with such ease and elegance that its almost arrogant and exhumes class and prominent grooming and breeding. Please understand the DS is very nice DAC that I enjoyed mightily but my music world was changed more by the Bricasti then any other component/speaker or anything in Audio and I never would have expected this type of increase over what I thought already was an amazing DAC. It's funny how someones perspective can so radically change almost overnight. Hope this is info id helpful to you :)
